Summary of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go

Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni

Looking for the book?
We have the summary! Get the key insights in just 10 minutes.

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go book summary

Editorial Rating

The rating – what does it mean?

At getAbstract, we summarize books* that help people understand the world and make it better. Whatever we select for our library has to excel in one or the other of these two core criteria:

Enlightening – You’ll learn things that will inform and improve your decisions.

Helpful – You’ll take-away practical advice that will help you get better at what you do.

We rate each piece of content on a scale of 1–10 with regard to these two core criteria. Our rating helps you sort the titles on your reading list from solid (5) to brilliant (10). Books we rate below 5 won’t be summarized. Here's what the ratings mean:

10 – Brilliant. A helpful and/or enlightening book that, in addition to meeting the highest standards in all pertinent aspects, stands out even among the best. Often an instant classic and must-read for everyone.
9 – Superb. A helpful and/or enlightening book that is extremely well rounded, has many strengths and no shortcomings worth mentioning.
8 – Very good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that has a substantial number of outstanding qualities without excelling across the board, e.g. presents the latest findings in a topical field and is written by a renowned expert but lacks a bit in style.
7 – Good. A helpful and/or enlightening book that combines two or more noteworthy strengths, e.g. contains uncommonly novel ideas and presents them in an engaging manner.
6 – Notable. A helpful and/or enlightening book that stands out by at least one aspect, e.g. is particularly well structured.
5 – Solid. A helpful and/or enlightening book, in spite of its obvious shortcomings. For instance, it may offer decent advice in some areas while being repetitive or unremarkable in others.

*getAbstract is summarizing much more than books. We look at every kind of content that may matter to our audience: books, but also articles, reports, videos and podcasts. What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover.

Qualities

Applicable

While the rating tells you how good a book is according to our two core criteria, it says nothing about its particular defining features. Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths:

Applicable – You’ll get advice that can be directly applied in the workplace or in everyday situations.
Analytical – You’ll understand the inner workings of the subject matter.
Background – You’ll get contextual knowledge as a frame for informed action or analysis.
Bold – You’ll find arguments that may break with predominant views.
Comprehensive – You’ll find every aspect of the subject matter covered.
Concrete Examples – You’ll get practical advice illustrated with examples of real-world applications or anecdotes.
Controversial – You’ll be confronted with strongly debated opinions.
Eloquent – You’ll enjoy a masterfully written or presented text.
Engaging – You’ll read or watch this all the way through the end.
Eye opening – You’ll be offered highly surprising insights.
For beginners – You’ll find this to be a good primer if you’re a learner with little or no prior experience/knowledge.
For experts – You’ll get the higher-level knowledge/instructions you need as an expert.
Hot Topic – You’ll find yourself in the middle of a highly debated issue.
Innovative – You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends.
Insider’s take – You’ll have the privilege of learning from someone who knows her or his topic inside-out.
Inspiring – You’ll want to put into practice what you’ve read immediately.
Overview – You’ll get a broad treatment of the subject matter, mentioning all its major aspects.
Scientific – You’ll get facts and figures grounded in scientific research.
Visionary – You’ll get a glimpse of the future and what it might mean for you.
Well structured – You’ll find this to be particularly well organized to support its reception or application.

Recommendation

Today’s employees expect continuous learning and career growth. If they don’t receive the training they seek, they leave and their firms suffer. Organizational development consultants Beverly Kaye and Julie Winkle Giulioni show managers how to prioritize their staff members’ career development. The authors provide useful insights and offer lists of potential questions managers can ask to lead their employees through conversations based on “hindsight, foresight and insight.” Even though the book’s structure is choppy and the text relies on bulleted lists that hinder the flow, getAbstract recommends this concise manual. Managers and human resources professionals will find it helpful, as will those who are nurturing their own careers.

About the Authors

Beverly Kaye, co-founder of Career Systems International, wrote several books on career development and employee retention. Julie Winkle Giulioni, co-founder of the DesignArounds consultancy, has been a trainer, author and speaker for 25 years.

Summary

Taking Time for Career Development

Employees want to build their careers, so managers must find time for staff career development. Engaged employees help your company shorten production cycles and increase productivity, profitability and customer loyalty. When you don’t give your employees the training and opportunities they want, they leave or, even worse, they become disillusioned and disengaged; that is, they stay but just slog through their work. The solution is having the right conversations.

Today’s pressured managers have to make quarterly and yearly sales goals. They must streamline their budgets and maximize their resources. Thus, many find it hard to find time to speak with their staffers about their career trajectories. The best bosses schedule time for career development. Instead of seeing it as a nuisance or sideline, they regard it as “helping others grow.”

“Career Conversations”

Career development isn’t necessarily arduous. It doesn’t have to mean checking off to-do items on a methodical list. You must simply speak with your employees. Instead of hosting a detailed, two-hour evaluation meeting once a year, touch base with each employee ...

Read on

Comment on this summary

Sign in to share your opinion
G. K. 1 year ago

is good to know.
A. M. 7 years ago

This summary does give leaders ideas in engaging their employees to show they do care about the devleopment of their staff. These conversations are critical to the retention of high performers.
J. S. 8 years ago

aligns perfectly to our approach to Driving Performance - in the moment conversations which give feedback and build capability. I like the hindsight, foresight and the outcome of insight. Increasingly I think career development is like rock climbing so I will be using this analogy - a good read